Australian Identity
Australians since the early part of this century has been preoccupied with the idea of capturing and representing an Australian distinctiveness - the much-vaunted "Australian Identity". It is a familiar irony that one of the most urbanised countries in the world (since at least the late 19th century) should have sought this identity in constructed myths of the 'bush' - the famous 'Legend of the Nineties' popularised in the writing of Henry Lawson, Banjo Patterson and others and still exploited in recent movies such as Crocodile Dundee and TV shows such as The Bush Tucker Man. Another irony is that the playwright who came to be seen as the pioneer of Australian drama, Louis Esson was an inner city Melbourne bohemian who took his model from the Irish
Esson wrote as many colourful urban slum plays as he did bush plays (and also a sophisticated political comedy, his best-known play, The Time Is Not Yet Ripe). But Mother and Son [1923] is clearly an attempt to create a rural folk tragedy in which the values of simple country life, represented by Mrs Lind, Tom and Peggy and the dangerous seductions of the city represented by Emma are brought into conflict and played out in the fate of wild young Harry. Their bond with the land is beyond doubt and there is much they have lost since European settlement. They lived on this land for over 40,000 years before European man came. There are many misconceptions about Australians and what they are like. True, some are like that, but not many. The most common misconception is that Australians are tall, blonde haired, blue eyed athletic types. Many of the stereotypes even some Australians tend to subscribe to. Another common misconception is that all Australians are white. folk nationalism of WB Yeats and JM Synge. The first Europeans to settle in Australia were British and Irish. This is not a definitive work about the people of Australia, but we have to start somewhere. I am happy to say that I have convict blood in me. Again, it is true that the majority of Australians are, but that is changing.
Common topics in this essay:
Tom Peggy,
Irish British,
JM Synge,
Australian Identity,
Mother Son,
Identity Australians,
Louis Esson,
Bush Tucker,
Banjo Patterson,
people australia,
australian identity,
common misconception australians,
misconception australians,
common misconception,
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Acceptance Essays
